Monday, May 4, 2015

The Answer To Any Question?: It's The U.S.'s Fault!

I get
tired of people blaming the United States for the number of Somali, and other
“Middle-Eastern-Americans,” that have gone back to the deserts to fight for
ISIL, Al-Quada and the like. “We need to do a better job of reaching out to the Somali (or
fill-in-the-blank)-American community” is the cry of the day among liberal
elitists.

Minnesota
Governor Mark Dayton recently opined in an interview, “I think we need to do a
better job, all of us, in providing a lot of good reasons for young Somali
youth to see their better future here in Minnesota.”

And I thought that pursuit of a better future was why they
made the decision to leave home and come here in the first place!

Dayton has promised that his office would do
more to reach out to Somali community
leaders, promote Somali-American appointments to state leadership positions and
explore ways to boost job opportunities for young Somalis. “We pledged whatever
assistance we could,” he said. A Minnesota House panel voted to increase state
funding tenfold to that end.

Incredibly, Minnesota Rep. Keith
Ellison claims that there are a number of Somali-American kids so disaffected
with life in the U.S. that they think they would have a better life and a
better chance at influencing U.S. foreign
policy by fighting there than voting here. Ellison appears concerned about
this because of all the efforts he and others have already made to let kids know there are other options when they feel disenchanted.

We are constantly bombarded with
assertions that the vast majority of Muslim Somali
(fill-in-the-blank)-Americans are peaceful and polite and law-abiding and
hard-working and detest the gross misinterpretations of the Koran by
extremists, etc., etc. Yet, when one informant from the community helped lead
law enforcement to six men who were indicted recently, many in the community
openly complained about his “betrayal.”

There is constant talk of “adrift”
and despondent young Middle-Eastern men in this country with no jobs and no
prospects being easily seduced by “extremists” into a (short) life of terror.
That is simply bunk. The six men alluded to earlier were friends, had attended
high school in Minneapolis and were attending community colleges where they
were pursuing majors in everything from computer support to pre-nursing. Some
of them were working and attending college at the same time…even going to NBA
games. At least one worked multiple jobs and had come up with enough money that
he was able to send some back to relatives in Africa. Another’s income helped
support his single mother and younger siblings. One had recently proposed to a
young woman and is planning to get married after college.

America provides these, and other
immigrants, with jobs, health insurance, schooling, food stamps, and
opportunities for business… among other things. Such as freedom. Somalia, on
the other hand, is a rathole of starvation, repression and death.

Oddly enough, there is another
primary reason the Islamo-apologists tout as a factor aiding recruitment of
these “vulnerable” immigrant youth. Besides it being a “grand adventure,” some
say that those who have integrated
into our (U.S.) society feel guilty when they observe the plight of
impoverished Muslims in countries with oppressive regimes. The executive
director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism at the
University of Maryland (whew!) said, “Meanwhile, you’re sipping a cappuccino
and wearing your Adidas. How can you stand to live in such luxury?”

I see. America is at fault by ignoring and discriminating against these
noble, innocent, stalwart, peace and freedom loving Muslim immigrants that came
here to escape their rathole of starvation, repression and death. They are
shunned, “disaffected,” poverty-stricken, and have no chance to succeed here,
and therefore are likely to be recruited by Middle-Eastern terror groups.

And also, America is at fault for
luring these self-same immigrants into a life of decadent luxury, thereby
turning them away from the most noble and equitable notions of their religion
of peace!

Detect a pattern here?

And what of all the immigrant
groups who’ve come here before? The
Irish faced discrimination, but I don’t recall many of them, feeling
disenfranchised, going back home and taking up with the IRA. Millions of
Germans came to America over many decades, but I don’t remember seeing any news
stories about scores of German-Americans going back overseas to fight for
Hitler and the Third Reich.

If it is simply poverty and
disenfranchisement, unemployment and lack of prospects that create terrorists,
why aren’t there throngs of home-grown terrorists from Appalachia?

The new wave of immigrants is different from those who came here in
the past. Previously, all that was desired was a chance. Nothing was demanded.
Immigrant’s fondest wish was to become fully American. That is why they came.

It is no longer acceptable to tell
certain truths in this country…or in much of the West. Here is one such truth:
there is a difference between the Muslim faith and Judeo-Christianity. The
latter naturally tends to foster free, open, democratic societies. The former
does not.

Daily Trivia Quiz Answer

Today's Answer: Andrew Jackson. ("Poll" got so worked up before the service he apparently had to be removed from the premises, as he was cussing long and loud).

Q) What words appear on the front of the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, alongside the likeness of presidents?

A) "Liberty" and "In God We Trust"

An Ode To Life

Appreciate all you have, as it- and you- will soon be gone. Leave no heartfelt words unspoken, no sweet gesture incomplete, no act of love undone. Love your spouse with passion and abandon, your kids with patience and understanding but also a firm guidance. Love also the truth, no matter how hard. If pursued by enough people with enough courage, it really will set us free.

And don't forget, we didn't ask to be born. We didn't create ourselves. We are not gods. There is a higher power.

Fireworks of the Mind

Write It Up

Whence Shall Come Another?

True Then, True Now

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."- Winston Churchill

Time Well Wasted

The power lies within your hands To do with what you may But the hourglass is filled with sands Of endless yesterdays